AmaZAYN  One Direction
by issy-loves-one-direction
Summary: Courtney is a backup dancer on X Factor and Zayn Malik and her fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask Zayn. He was too nervous to perform the dance number to the judges, and no one could convince him to go on stage.  
>Looking up at me, he nods but quickly looks away. It is obvious that he's embarrassed and extremely nervous.<br>"Do you wanna come out and do the dance?" I want him to know that it will be okay. I am one of the backup dancers and every time I have to dance for someone, the nerves come.  
>"No," he laughs.<br>"Why not?" I reply.  
>"I…I'm not very good. I know I will just make a fool of myself so I think it's better if I sit in the back." He is nervously fiddling with his hands, picking the nails.<br>"I know what it's like to be nervous. I dance in front of people all the time, and I still get really nervous. X Factor is an amazing opportunity, and you are so lucky that you were chosen. I don't think they would have put you on this show if they thought you were no good."  
>He smiles. "You're one of the backup dances, right?"<br>I nod.  
>"Yeah you're really good." He mumbles. It was as if he was confirming that I have nothing to be embarrassed about.<br>"Yeah there's a reason why I am a BACKUP dancer and not someone head stage. It is because I am like you. I sat in the back, let others take my dream. I let nerves control my life and now I am only half living it the way I want to. Don't let that happen to you." I stand up and begin to walk away, but then I hesitate. "I have a feeling they will wait all day for you. They believe in you. Now all you need is for you to believe in you." I left because I knew there was nothing more I could do. When people are trying to convince you of something, you don't want them constantly reassuring you. You want time to breathe, relax and think. Zayn needed that time.


	2. Chapter 2

"I tried Lucy, but honestly it was as if his ass was glued to the chair."  
>Shaking her head, Lucy replies, "Damn, that boy has some fine talent. Every minute is making it harder. I bet he just wants to run home and curl up in his bed."<br>I look past Lucy and see Zayn, walking onto the stage. My smile is huge as I cheer and clap with everyone else, while Zayn is taking his place. Simon is walking with him and as he leaves Zayn he shakes his hand and pats him on the back. In a way, Zayn is braver than anyone else here. He overcame his fear. That's braver than not having one.  
>"Okay folks, now that everyone is present, I believe you need to shake up this dance floor and convince us," Simon motions to the judges, "that you can dance!"<br>Glancing at Zayn, I can see the word 'FEAR' written across his face.  
>"FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT." Each group dances until finally Zayn's group is up. As the music starts, the concentration on his face is evident. He wasn't even that bad, I would say he was really good. He was in time, and did each move properly. When he was finished, the cheer was the loudest. You could tell what everyone was thinking, "Zayn Malik is no quitter."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay bye guys, see you tomorrow!" I shout as the rest of the dancers leave. That was one hard training session and our coach would give us no mercy. I could do the dance in my sleep we have been over it so many times. It's the next dance we have to teach the contestants, and we are all confident that we can do it as a group.  
>"See ya babe," Lucy says as she waves.<br>"Hm, I would hug you but we are both balls of sweat, so no thanks!" I joke.  
>I am the last one in the dance room because I have been taking forever to get all my stuff together. I guess you could say I wasn't one to be in a rush.<br>Sitting down on the dance stool I gaze around the room and into all the mirrored-walls and I am reminded of my first day of dancing lessons. It wasn't in this room, but it was similar. All dance rooms are kind of the same.

Mum and I turned up to the class, and the older group before me was still practising. Watching them in awe at the way they turned and moved with such grace, the poise and precision of each step and the perfect point and balance of their toe-points. I wanted to move like that. I wanted to be elegant, to be seen as though not even gravity could hold me down. As if I was unstoppable. When they finished and my group began some of the basics, I fell in love with my coach; she was so nice and elegant. When I got home I practised each step and the next lesson, the coach commended me on my improvement. I was so committed. I had big dreams of bright lights, huge stages and a booked out arena. I wanted to be in the spotlight, to share my love with the audience. I don't know where I fell off track but somewhere, other things became more important. Around the time mum got sick, the love began to fade…

"Hello?" Popping me out of my thoughts, I look up to see Zayn standing hesitantly in the doorway.  
>"Oh hi. What are you still doing here, its late." I reply. Zayn is my age; one year out of school.<br>"Yeah I had a lot of thinking to do."  
>"Huh. About today?" I reply, already knowing the answer.<br>"Yeah today… the dance… and you."  
>His last reason caught me by surprise. "Me?" I chuckle.<br>"Yeah what you said to me about dreams and letting fear hold you back. I just wanted to say that you helped me a lot in overcoming it. Thank you." His eyes were bearing hard into me, like he was trying to open my mind and read.  
>"Heh its okay. You would've come to the decision on your own in time."<br>"Maybe. The dancers and other contestants would've starved by then," he laughs. Laughing with him, I feel at ease. When I meet people for the first time, it can take a while before it feels naturally to talk and respond.  
>Picking up my bag and towel, I look at Zayn.<br>"Need a lift home?"  
>"Oh no, I was thinking about walking across the street for some pizza. I haven't realised until now how hungry I am." He replies.<br>"You know, I was just thinking the same thing." I reply, smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mm… this is so good." We had ordered a seafood pizza because he is the only other person who has the same seafood obsession as me!  
>Laughing he agrees.<br>"So Zayn, why did you audition for X Factor?" I ask him in an interviewers voice, holding my hand in a ball as the microphone.  
>"Well Courtney, I love to sing and X Factor seemed like a place to do it." Smiling he pushes the microphone away. "No more paparazzi, please stop!" he jokes.<br>We are both laughing at each other because it's just so stupid.  
>"This is fun, we should do it again sometime." He says with a smile.<br>"Hahaha, definitely!" I study him for a minute jokingly. "Is Zayn Malik asking me, Courtney James on a date?"  
>"Wait - I thought this was a date?" he says, winking.<br>"It's not that easy." I say, fluttering my eyelashes and getting up from the table.  
>To be honest, the whole night was a laugh. Zayn is so easy to be around and he gets my jokes and I get his.<br>"Hey wait up sexy!" I don't why, but at this I blush. I can see a few turned heads and it is as if the whole world is looking. I am bit like that. I try not to be, but inside I cannot control.  
>"You'll have to catch me first," I yell, running out of the restaurant and into the park. I love the park at this time of night. It's got an eerie feel and it's deserted. I guess no one wants to go to some creepy old park, but that's why I love it. I feel connected, like we are both lonely. The grass surrounds a lake, about the size of your average pool. It has no sharks but a few tadpoles and the temperature is always so nice. I think of it as my pool away from home.<br>I hear footsteps behind me and try to hold my giggles. Suddenly strong arms wrap around my waist and I scream, "Nooo! Someone help me!" His is laughing and swaying me, trying to keep me still.  
>"Hey! You found me!" I say cheekily.<br>"Yeah, in this open park you were so hard to find!"  
>"Hm…" His arms are still around me, but I like it. I feel safe and secure a feeling that is foreign to me. "Do you want to go swimming?" His arms tense up and drop to his sides.<br>"Oh, um no it's okay." he nervously replies.  
>"Zayn?" I ask, trying to look at his face.<br>"No it's just that I can't swim so, heh, you can swim but I'll just sit here…"  
>"The Lake is at standing depth, but can I make you a promise?"<br>He looks up at me and slightly nods.  
>"I will teach you how to swim." He laughs and replies, "So are we going to stand in some dirty water or what?"<br>I study him and then agree.  
>"YES WE ARE!"<p>

He strips off his shirt but leaves his pants on. I'm glad he did because even when boys were speedos, I find it highly unattractive and it makes me uncomfortable. Around Zayn, I am 'at my comfiest.' Following his lead I rip off my top, getting excited about the feeling of all this sweatiness washing away. I work off my tights until I am just left in my sports bra and bike pants. When I look up, I see Zayn staring at me.  
>"What?" I say, slightly embarrassed.<br>He just smiles at me and says, "Are you coming in or not?"  
>Racing him to the water we both run in and splash around, before finally relaxing and floating in the water. I close my eyes and hear the sound of the water slightly moving, when I open my eyes I see that Zayn is sitting.<br>"Aren't you going to float?"  
>"I can't float." Seriously, this boy is so hot and at the same time, his incapability with the water makes him completely cute.<br>"I can teach you, come here." I motion for him to come closer. "Okay, now just lie of your back and I'll hold you up. Okay, go!"  
>He lies in the water and immediately his back and bum start to sink and I place my hands under his body, trying to keep him afloat. I am strong, but a boy packed with muscles can weigh more than the eyes think. So I move closer so my body is touching his so I can get some leverage. His eyes open and stare into mine.<br>"I think I'm hopeless." He sighs.  
>"Yeah, there's no hope. You're a sinker." I let my arms drop and Zayn stands up but our bodies are closer than they have ever been. He moves forward and I can feel his hot breath of my face. I open my mouth, ready for the kiss. He does the same and before we make contact, we both pause before slowly moving together. The kiss is slow and his arms wraps around my waste. Floating. That's how I feel, as though I'm on a cloud and I don't ever want to leave it. It's not busy and loud fireworks but it's something that numbs the rest out. I have never had this before. We break apart and stare into each other's eyes.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

We don't say anything but we embrace again, this time the kiss has more heat. I manoeuvre my arms around his neck and rack them through his dark brown hair. Our bodies are pushed up together and his mouth searches hungrily in mine. His hands slip down my back and cup my buttocks, pushing our lower bodies together. We are broken apart only from the sound of a car backfiring up the street. We both spring away and then burst out laughing, running out of the water and onto the towels. Lying under the stars with our towels together and our fingers intertwined, I feel happy; content.  
>"Hey Court?"<br>"Yeah Zayn?" I ask.  
>"Tonight was perfect."<br>I roll over and hold my head up with my hand and stare into his eyes. "It was, wasn't it?" I reply with a rhetorical question. He smiles and sits up the same way.  
>"Do you want to come back to mine after? My parents are out tonight at a party…" He trails off suggestively.<p>

"Sure, are we talking movies or … ?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.  
>He grabs my face between his hands and kisses me passionately. I lie down and wrap my arms around him, just as enthusiastic as he is. The kiss was an answer to my question.<p>

(**At Zayn's house)**

When Zayn opened the door to his house we immediately started kissing, ripping our clothes off until we were only in our underwear. He scooped me up into his arms, and carried me up the stairs as we were both giggling to each other. He softly laid me down on his bed and as we made love, I didn't think there was anywhere else in the world that I would rather be.


	6. Chapter 6

"Courtney?" Zayn asks as he is fiddling with my hair. We just had sex and it was amazing. Laying here, in my underwear with Zayn, wrapped around each other, feels so right.  
>"Mmm?" I reply, too lazy to open my mouth.<br>"Won't your parents want you home?" My drowsiness vanishes. Suddenly, I am wide awake. I guess it was coming, but everything was just so fun and perfect.  
>"I, uh, don't live with my parents anymore." I squeezed my eyes close as he froze and sat up. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my face into his chest, hoping the conversation was over.<br>He sighs. "Hey, babe, you know you can tell me anything."  
>"Yeah. It's just… complicated. Like I don't think I will be as… appealingly easy when you know the truth."<br>"Well what is the truth?" He kisses the top of my head reassuringly.  
>"It's a long story. You sure you want to stay awake through it?" I tease.<br>"I'm sure." He sounds really serious. He knows me so well and we only met today.  
>"Okay, here goes…."<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

"My mum and dad, we really happily married and I never thought anything could go wrong with their marriage. I mean, I heard about all the divorces with other peoples parents and on the television, but it never seemed a possibility for me. That's what I thought before my parents got divorced. They told us that they were happier apart, they still loved us, and it was a mutual split.  
>On the way to court, to settle the divorce, I was driving because my mum was too upset to drive. The drive was silent, and I could see tears start to slowly fall down her face. Even though she knew it was better, they were married for 20 years. I held her hand and squeezed it. I bent down to pick up a packet of tissues and a car ran right into us. The last thing I remember was my head hitting something hard and hearing the screech of breaking tires.<br>Then I woke up in hospital pretty confused and scared. I had bruising in several places and my left arm was broken pretty badly. My dad was asleep in the hospital chair and when he woke up, I asked him about mum. His face when pale white and his eyes filled with tears. It was the first and last time I saw him cry. He just shook his head and lifted my arm to his cheek. I knew; mum had died. I just sat there, numb with sadness. I remember drowsing off into a sleep. About a week later, I got the okay to leave and my dad was nowhere. The nurses took me to an empty room and told me that my dad had committed suicide because he didn't want to be known as the 'nearly divorced widow.' He had loved my mum still but she wanted the divorce and he wanted me to know that he loves me so much, but I needed to let him go and he needed to be with my mum; the love of his life."


	8. Chapter 8

Pure silence. The one that actually hurts your ears. I wriggled around, trying to get an answer out of Zayn. All that he did was tighten his grip on me, as if he was scared I would fall apart. I did just that. I broke down and cried, soaking his chest with my salty tears. I cried and cried, silently, sometimes choking and hiccoughing. He just swayed me back and forward, his lips pressed to my head, hushing me in an endearing way.  
>"I.. don't know… why it had to… be both… my parents. Why… me…?" I choked out.<br>"Shh… it'll be okay."  
>"It… was only last year. I had… no one…because I am… an only child. I was… alone."<br>"I'll always be here. Court, sh… it'll be okay."

In the morning, Zayn was asleep when I woke up. We were both wrapped in each other's arms, keeping each other together. His eyes looked as though they had been crying, just like mine felt; heavy. I wish last night didn't have to end so seriously, but I know that its best that Zayn knows the truth and that I feel comfortable in trusting him. I haven't had that for a year; I have been so alone, not trusting anyone. I knew it was going to be hard although it is easy for me to let Zayn protect me.  
>"Court?" he whispers.<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Do you want some breakfast, its Saturday. Mum and dad are out all weekend."<br>"Yeah sure." Only now did I realise that I have morning breath, so I quickly jump up and head to the bathroom to 'go to the toilet' but I am really washing my mouth out with Listerine. When I open the door to go back to the bedroom, Zayn is gone and the smell of sizzling pancakes replaces him. I bounce down the stairs, excited to eat what smells like delicious pancakes.  
>"Mmm… smells good!" I come up behind Zayn and wrap my arms up under his armpits and hold on to his shoulders. Kissing his neck, he turns around and lifts me up onto the bench, giggling, he kisses down up my neck before finally kissing me, open-mouthed and passionately. He then stops, leaving me sitting on the bench while he flips the pancakes on to two plates. He hands me a knife and a fork and watches me eat.<br>"What?" I ask with my mouth full.  
>"Do you like them?"<br>Laughing I reply, "Of course I do, they are delicious! And," I pick up the Pancake Shake Mix, "I think they made it really well!"  
>"Damn it!" he says, grabbing the carton, "You weren't supposed to see that!"<br>Laughing, we both finish our pancakes and wash up. 


End file.
